You see a flier in the hallway while you’re making your way to class. It’s promoting a spring writing contest. You scan the QR code and decide to take a closer look. It’s asking you to write a short story, or short short story (whatever that is) based on a given prompt. You join the contest’s Google Classroom, excited, thinking about the stories you could write. Other than a few rules and a fixed prompt, the contest gives you plenty of creative freedom. You create a new Google doc, ready to start typing your way to that prize they have yet to specify in the contest. But there is just one small problem.

You’ve got nothing.

Relax. Take a deep breath and remember: Writing is a huge task. Writing anything can be a challenge–even famous authors have expressed the difficulty they face in their own writing. Writer’s block. Crafting an outline. Finding that dang arc. To plot, or to pants? The struggles are many, and the struggles are real.

This list touches on little bits and pieces of everything related to writing. Scroll around, read the ones you need, skip the ones you don’t. Hopefully, you find something in here that gets your blinking cursor going!

Different Types of Writers Block and How to Solve Them

Writer’s block can be so hard to get over. In this article, it talks more about the different types of writer’s block and how to solve it.

How to Motivate Yourself to Write

Just trying to write can be a huge task, you may have so many ideas or none. Either way, this list should provide you with good tips on how to sit down and start writing.

How to Develop Writing Habits

Sometimes it’s best to develop some better writing habits. While it’s not needed for everybody, it may give others some better ideas on how to be a more productive writer.

How to Plot a Short Story

Plot is a pretty important part of a story. If you’re a plotter, you probably agree that it’s best to plan out what the plot of your story is going to be before you start writing. If you’re a pantser, you might disagree.

What are Plot Points

Of course, “plot points” is an umbrella term, so not everybody might find this helpful. Still, it is recommended to look deeper into what plot points are and how to use them.

How to Create a Character

For those who struggle with character development, this article acts as a pretty solid guideline, and might be very helpful if you’re stuck.

The Pros and Cons of Plotting and Pantsing

Pantsing is a type of writing where you go with your creative flow with little to no plot whatsoever. You get an idea and just run with it. This website goes over the differences between plotting and pantsing.

Important Elements to a Short Story

Important elements of a story include characters, setting, plot, conflict and theme. Even if you find none of it useful for your story, this may just spark some creativity — or at least act as a helpful reminder that all of the basic elements deserve your attention.

Literary Theme Guide

In many works, themes transcend the literal sense of the story and become applicable to the physical world around us. Even the shortest of stories can carry some real thematic weight!

How to Edit a Short Story

Some writers and publishers argue that editing and revising is just as important as getting through a first draft. This article provides tricks on how to be a better editor–for yourself and for others in your writing network.